In the past, various types of gaming machines have been developed with different features to captivate and maintain player interest. In general, a gaming machine allows a player to play a game in exchange for a wager. Depending on the outcome of the game, the player may be entitled to an award which is paid to the player by the gaming machine, normally in the form of currency or game credits. Gaming machines may include flashing displays, lighted displays, or sound effects to capture a player's interest in a gaming device. There is also the desire to incorporate mobile devices for game play; however, there are numerous obstacles to the use of mobile devices for game play, including the lack of ticket printers and bill acceptors.
Historically, there has been “Ticket-in-Ticket-Out” functionality in gaming machines. Briefly explained, when using “Ticket-in-Ticket-Out” functionality a player inserts cash into a gaming machine, but does not receive cash when pressing “cash out.” Instead, he or she receives a paper ticket that may be further inserted into the present or any other gaming machine, or redeemed for cash by inserting into a kiosk.
While there is a desire to use mobile devices such as smart phones as gaming devices, there remains the problem that these mobile devices do not have access to traditional gaming peripherals such as ticket printers or bill acceptors. It would be desirable to allow mobile devices to participate in playing games with real money in a casino environment, leveraging existing infrastructure in a way that makes sense to a player. There is a continuing need in the art to address these and other issues. For example, some establishments ban or otherwise limit indoor smoking. At gaming establishments, gaming machines are typically operated indoors. In this regard, bans on smoking may directly impact revenue at gaming establishments since active or participating players may leave their gaming machines to smoke. One study suggests that smoking bans may lead to a reduction in revenue of around 30%. While gaming machines could be operated outdoors, regulations generally limit gaming establishments to a certain number of machines that may be operated or otherwise ready for play. In this regard, situating gaming machines outdoors (i.e., in smoking-friendly areas) affects the number of gaming machines that may be operated indoors, and also carries with it inclement weather concerns that may force gaming establishments to expend time and money moving gaming machines indoors. Therefore, there remains a need to enable a player to use a gaming machine vis-à-vis a second mobile computing device to address these and other issues.